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{{Short description|Hindu temple, formerly a country house, in Hertfordshire, United Kingdom}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2020}}
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[[File:Bhaktivedanta Manor crop.jpg|thumb|right|upright=1.4|Bhaktivedanta Manor temple]]
'''Bhaktivedanta Manor''' is a [[Gaudiya Vaishnava]] [[Hindu temple]] set in the [[Hertfordshire]] countryside of England, in the village of [[Letchmore Heath]] near [[Watford]]. The Manor is owned and run by the [[International Society for Krishna Consciousness]] (ISKCON), better known as the Hare Krishna movement. It is ISKCON's largest property in the United Kingdom, and one of the most frequently visited [[Radha Krishna]] temples in Europe. The house is [[Listed building#England and Wales|listed Grade II]] on the [[National Heritage List for England]].<ref name=NHLE>{{NHLE|num=1173081|desc=Bhaktivedanta Manor|access-date=5 January 2016|mode=cs2}}</ref>
Previously known as Piggott's Manor, the property was donated to the Hare Krishna movement in February 1973 by former [[The Beatles|Beatle]] [[George Harrison]], after the [[Radha Krishna Temple]] in central London had become inadequate to house the growing number of devotees. The donation included 17 acres of land, following which the estate was extended through the acquisition of neighbouring properties. Harrison had a close relationship with ISKCON's founder-[[acharya]], [[A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada]],<ref>Carol Clerk, "George Harrison 1943–2001", ''[[Uncut (magazine)|Uncut]]'', February 2002, p. 51; available at [http://www.rocksbackpages.com/Library/Article/george-harrison-2 Rock's Backpages] (subscription required).</ref><ref>Clayson, pp. 268, 306.</ref> and visited him at the Manor on several occasions.
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==Former history==
* 12th century: The Abbot of [[Westminster Abbey|Westminster]] granted land at [[Aldenham]] to
* 13th century: The surrounding land was owned by Lord Picot, and the place was therefore named Picot's [[manorialism|Manor]].<ref name="historyUK">[https://www.webarchive.org.uk/wayback/archive/20080218172126/http://www.history.uk.com/listings/listing.php?iD=16402 "Bhaktivedanta Manor"], History.UK.com (archived version retrieved 16 September 2014).</ref>
* 1884: A mock-[[Tudor Revival architecture|Tudor]] [[mansion]] was built on the site, replacing a
* 1920s: By now the name had changed to Piggott's Manor.<ref name="historyUK" />
* 1957 to 1972: Piggott's Manor was a nurses' training college, run by [[St Bartholomew's Hospital]]<ref name="historyUK" /> as the Preliminary Training School.<ref>Elaine Law, [https://web.archive.org/web/20060518121851/http://www.rlhleagueofnurses.org.uk/Education/Progress_Index/Progress_16/Elaine_Law/elaine_law.html "The Rewards of an Unusual Change in Career"], RLH League of Nurses, May 2005 (archived version retrieved 16 September 2014).</ref>
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==ISKCON ownership==
[[File:Bhaktivedanta Manor - 33.JPG|thumb|left|upright=0.8|Shrine to [[A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada]], at Bhaktivedanta Manor]]
By 1972, three years after its founding, ISKCON's [[Radha Krishna Temple]] at Bury Place, in central London, was proving too small to accommodate the growing number of devotees there.<ref>Dwyer and Cole, pp. 31, 32.</ref> The popularity of the movement had much to do with former [[The Beatles|Beatle]] [[George Harrison]],<ref>Lavezzoli, p. 195.</ref> who
Harrison began looking for a new premises but then left the search to Dhananjaya and others, aware that property owners were immediately raising their asking price due to the involvement of a celebrity musician.<ref name="Dwyer & Cole p 32">Dwyer and Cole, p. 32.</ref> Dhananjaya came upon Piggott's Manor in the Hertfordshire village of Aldenham, north-west of London;<ref name="Dwyer & Cole p 32" /> he recalls that the owner had been considering using the house and 17 acres<ref name="Clayson p 306">Clayson, p. 306.</ref> of grounds as a [[Nursing home care|nursing home]].<ref>Dhananjaya Das, in "Bhaktivedanta Manor Memories – The Definitive History"; event occurs between 2:16 and 2:28.</ref> Harrison purchased the property in February 1973 and donated it to ISKCON's London chapter.<ref>Tillery, p. 111, 162.</ref>
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The devotees endured financial hardship during their early years at the Manor, due to the substantial costs involved in maintaining the large property.<ref name="Dwyer & Cole p 32" /> A habitual international traveller, Prabhupada visited Bhaktivedanta Manor in the summer of 1973<ref name="Greene pp 198-99" /> and was delighted with the new UK base.<ref>Dwyer and Cole, pp. 32–33.</ref> During their meeting there in August, he told Harrison: "You have given us this shelter, and Krishna will give ''you'' shelter – at his lotus feet."<ref name="Greene pp 198-99">Greene, pp. 198–99.</ref> Prabhupada later referred to Harrison as ISKCON's "archangel" for this and other gifts to the movement;<ref>Clayson, p. 268.</ref> in November 1977, while on his deathbed in the [[Krishna Balaram Mandir|Vrindavan temple]], the acharya removed a ring from his hand and instructed devotees to deliver it to Harrison.<ref>Tillery, p. 118.</ref><ref>Greene, p. 225.</ref> Prabhupada's final trip outside India, over August and September 1977, was a visit to the UK centres at Bury Place and Aldenham.<ref>Dwyer and Cole, pp. 34–35.</ref> While staying at the Manor, he became too sick to undertake a planned tour of the United States,<ref>Goswami, p. 335.</ref> and instead returned to Bombay before being transported to Vrindavan.<ref>Dwyer and Cole, p. 35.</ref>
Harrison said he envisaged that the Manor would be a "guide to Krishna consciousness"<ref name="Gibson">Gibson, p. 7.</ref> and "
The Manor celebrates Harrison's contribution to ISKCON with an event held each year on 29 November, the date of his death. For the twentieth anniversary of his death, in 2021, Bhaktivedanta Manor hosted ''Evening with George Harrison'', consisting of remembrances, archival film footage, and live performances of Harrison's music.<ref>{{cite web|title=Evening with George Harrison|url=https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/evening-with-george-harrison-tickets-214182364217|publisher=[[Eventbrite]]|date=November 2021|access-date=29 November 2021}}</ref>
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<blockquote>[Bhaktivedanta Manor] is unique in the UK because there is no comparable alternative place for teaching, worship and meditation; and the level of provision of these religious facilities is to an exceptionally high standard. Furthermore, the close association of the Hare Krishna movement's founder with the Manor makes it a special, if not unique place …<ref name="Campaign" /></blockquote>
The road was duly built, through what was now a 70-acre property, bypassing the village of Aldenham.<ref>Dwyer and Cole, pp. 45, 46.</ref> In September 1998, visitors to the Janmashtami festival numbered 60,000 – a figure described by the local ''[[Borehamwood and Elstree Times|Borehamwood & Elstree Times]]'' in 2007 as "the average number of people" attending the festival each year.<ref name="Mahadevan/B&E Times" /> According to a 2013 [[BBC News]] report, the grounds of Bhaktivedanta Manor now include "a theological college, [[organic farm]], herb gardens, a cow sanctuary, [[primary school]] and kitchens providing meals for the homeless".<ref name="BBC 2013">Taneja, Poonam (27 March 2013). [https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-beds-bucks-herts-21938027 "'George Harrison' Bhaktivedanta Manor Hindu temple at 40"]. [[BBC News]]. Retrieved 18 October 2014.</ref> In 2012,<ref>{{Cite web |title=Bhaktivedanta Manor planning brief SPD |url=https://www.hertsmere.gov.uk/Planning--Building-Control/Planning-Policy/Other-guidance-and-information/Planning-publications/Bhaktivedanta-Manor-planning-brief-SPD.aspx |access-date=2024-08-29 |website=Hertsmere Borough Council |language=en-GB}}</ref> Hertsmere Borough Council adopted a [https://www.hertsmere.gov.uk/Documents/09-Planning--Building-Control/Planning-Policy/Planning-Publications/Bhaktivedanta-Planning-Brief.pdf planning brief] to provide a clear plan for the future of the Manor including a purpose built Haveli, to meet the spiritual and social needs of the community. Construction of the Haveli was completed in 2020.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Cottrell & Vermeulen {{!}} New Community Haveli |url=https://cv-arch.co.uk/bhaktivedanta-manor/ |access-date=2024-08-29 |website=cv-arch.co.uk}}</ref>
==Inside the temple==
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File:Srisita ram laxman hanuman manor.JPG|Rama, Sita, Lakshmana and Hanuman
</gallery>
== Attractions ==
Besides the temple Bhaktivedanta Manor has several other attractions [https://www.krishnatemple.com/visit/]. These include
* '''George Harrison Garden -''' A peaceful garden in memory of the late [[George Harrison]]. Here eight artworks celebrate Harrison's spiritual life and devotion to [[Krishna]].
* '''Cow protection centre''' - An organic agricultural farm with a herd of 63 cows and bulls.
* '''Woodland Walk''' - A pathway that takes visitors around the manor. The path is marked by 16 inspiring verses from the [[Bhagavad Gita]].
* '''Krishna Lila Playground''' - A play area for young children inspired by [[Krishna|Krishna's]] childhood pastimes.
* '''Cafe and Gift Shop''' - The cafe serves vegetarian delicacies in accordance to a [[Sattvic diet|Sattvic]] diet. A gift shop is also on premises where visitors can purchase books and spiritually related gift items.
==See also==
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[[Category:Grade II listed buildings in Hertfordshire]]
[[Category:Grade II listed houses]]
[[Category:Hertsmere]]▼
[[Category:Hindu temples in England]]
[[Category:Houses completed in 1884]]
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[[Category:Religion in Hertfordshire]]
[[Category:Vaishnavism]]
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